Wantha Deaton Deaton itibaren 1281 Zapodje, Slovenia
This book was really disturbing, but it gave you a behind the scenes look at what can happen when you're young and on drugs. Totally creeped me out at times, but overall, I really enjoyed this book.
Glad I finally finished the series after all these years, but it was a struggle! Shallow and pedantic at best. Finally time for Ayla's chapter to close.
Not as good as the series but still entertaining....Some of the stories were better than others.
Sometimes reading a book for a second time doesn't create as much anticipation and the initial reading but this novel is as fresh and engrossing as ever. Melissa D'Augustino, age 14 and mentally retarded is murdered. Her body is found in a pond in a cow pasture. Police Chief Nalen Storrow of Flowering Dogwood, Maine is at the scene and leading the investigation. Nalen is deeply troubled, not only because a crime like this couldn't happen in his quiet town but also because he feels protective for his 9 year old daughter, Rachel and fear that his 18 year old son might be involved. There is stress at home and tremendous stress on the job. This inner pressure takes its toll and the first part of the novel ends with Nalen trying to cope with his fears. Eighteen years go by and Rachel is now a detective and her brother works as a teacher's aide in the school for the blind and special needs. Claire Castillo is the teacher under whom Billy works as an aide. They have different approaches to the students but both are well liked by the children under their care. Claire does feel that Billy is becoming too friendly with a sixteen year old girl and has to remind Billy that although she has special needs, she is a young woman and he should be more professional. Off the job Billy and Claire seem to be developing a deeper relationship when Claire disappears. Old memories return, Rachel invesitgates and Billy is again a suspect. Blanchard has written a compelling story. She deals with the disabled children intelligently and her development of Rachel as a character is supurb. I enjoyed this portion of the story immensly but would have liked more psychological development of the time when Nalen was the police chief. Toward the end of the novel, when the reason behind the murder's actions are unraveled, this reader would have liked a better resolution. However, I feel that Blanchard was giving a lesson that all things in life do not come to satisfactory endings and justice doesn't always prevail. Highly recommended.